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Edin Dzeko – Roma’s best since Batistuta?

Roma Press is the place for Roma news, exclusive interviews, and more. Here, they tell us about Edin Dzeko’s incredible season after the Bosnian battled back from a disappointing start to his Roma career:

In a tale of two vastly different seasons, Edin Dzeko “flipped the switch” this season after having, arguably, one of the worst seasons of his career in 2015-2016.

The Bosnian arrived at Roma in the summer of 2015 to a massive crowd at Rome’s Fiuminico airport and to a fanbase with huge expectations. Dzeko was tipped to be the most skilled #9 to have arrived at Roma since Batistuta.

However, just about everything that could go wrong for the former City man did go wrong in his first season in giallorosso. Dzeko’s season was followed by a flurry of transfer rumors, tipping him with a potential return to England. The Bosnian, though, never wavered and reiterated his will to remain in Rome and right the wrongs from his first season…and he certainly delivered.

The big Bosnian started this season with an absolute bang while sending a message to defenders throughout Italy: last season was merely a fluke.

Dzeko caught fire early in the season and couldn’t seem to be stopped. The striker tallied ten goals in Roma’s first ten league matches and seemed to continue this blistering mark all throughout the campaign.

Roma’s #9 ended the season as the leading scorer in both Serie A and Europa League, while finishing with 39 goals in 51 appearances in all competitions, numbers that haven’t been seen in the Eternal City in decades.

The problems that plagued Dzeko in his first season such as poor positioning and failing to finish even the most basic of chances seemingly disappeared. While Dzeko did lead Serie A with the most wasted chances, that obviously correlated to Roma creating a high number more than most clubs and also sheds some light on how Dzeko led Serie A in scoring.

Another problem Dzeko encountered in his first season was when some clubs, in typical Italian, fashion, would play with nine men behind the ball, he found it difficult to “unlock” defences and find space. This, though, is something he mastered this season and proved to be one of the best throughout Italy with his movement inside the area.

Manager Luciano Spalletti also harped and pleaded with Dzeko to “be more nasty” and to make teams pay for giving him space in the area, and again, he delivered. The timid, unsure Dzeko that was on full display in his first season was gone. The Dzeko of this season was decisive, confident, and sharp in his movement and decision making.

At 30, Edin Dzeko proved this season that an old dog can indeed learn new tricks. The Bosnian reiterated his class ability and cemented himself as one of the most lethal and needing-to-be-dealt with strikers. There’s no reason to believe he can’t build upon the sensational form he hit this season and have it continue into the next.